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Re:Iquana Sneezing

My iguana is sneezing also, but a lot more than usual and that's not good if they're doing it a lot. I also don't know what to do about it... I'm pretty sure he has a cold, but i need a way to cure it without taking him to the vet. There are no reptile vets around here, and I'm only 15 so i have no money for a vet haha.. so hopefully this will get us some better answers =].

Re:Iquana Sneezing

Per Melissa Kaplan: Anapsid.org [This women is a wealth of info on these guy's, vist her site].

Many people are concerned when they first see or hear their reptile sneeze, especially iguana owners, as many iguanas sneeze more often - and more productively - than any other animal (at least it seems that way to those iguana keepers who seem to spend a significant amount of time cleaning salty deposits off of windows, walls, furniture, etc.).

Generally speaking, reptiles sneeze for the same reasons humans and other animals. Sneezing is a natural biological response to an irritant in the nose. Sneezing may also be an allergic reaction, both to airborne substances and to ingested substances.

In the case of iguanas and many other lizards, sneezing is how they rid their bodies of certain salts that are the normal by-product of their digestive processes. This does not mean that if you do not see your iguana sneezing you should be adding salt to his diet, nor does it mean that the foods you are feeding him are too high in salt.

All foods have salts of different kinds, and those not required for metabolic and other physiologic processes are voided by the body; iguanas get rid of theirs by sneezing. Animals have different ways of dealing with these by-products - in the case of green, Cyclura and other iguanas, this is their way;

"Nasal salt glands are present in herbivorous iguanid lizards such as the green iguana. When the plasma osmotic concentration is high, excessive sodium is excreted by these glands. The lizard may be seen to sneeze a clear fluid that dries to a fine, white powder, which is sodium chloride. This mechanism allows water conservation and may be mistaken for an upper respiratory infection.

"The internal nares are anterior in [inside, in the back] of the mouth and are a common site for discharges to accumulate, as well as a good site for bacteriologic sampling [choanal swab] when respiratory infection is present."

That is not to suggest you feed your iguanas foods which salt has been added. If you a feeding a particular food for a while (1+ weeks) and realize that your iguana is snalting more than he used to before that food became a staple, then you might want to stop feeding that food for several weeks to see if that makes a difference. If it does, go ahead and reinstate that food item, but not as often.

Sneezing is not a result of a cold virus. Reptiles can develop lung infections, usually due to bacteria, sometimes inadvertently caused by the owner when forcing oral fluids or food which get into the lungs via the rather than down the esophagus, or when regurgitated and then aspirated (inhaled) by the reptile. The common signs of a respiratory infection in reptiles do not include sneezing.

Cleaning the Snalt
Snalt is a term some green iguana keepers use when referring to the residue that gets deposited seemingly over everything their iguana comes into contact or proximity to. Made up of the words snot +salt (as smog = smoke +fog), snalt is more than just grains of salt, as one finds out when one tries to clean it off of various surfaces.

When salt deposits collect around the nostrils, they can easily be gently wiped away with a damp cloth. You may need a razor blade to scrape the deposits off the glass of their tank, however, as well a glass cleaner with a mild degreaser, to get the windows completely free of the residue. Snalt on eyeglasses should be first rinsed with hot water, then a mild soapy water applied to remove the residues. If you rub your lenses while the salt residue is still on them, you may scratch the lenses. Snalt will corrode brass and other such metals, so if you value your lamps, headboard, or other furnishings, clean them quickly and often.

Sorry for the long read, but this should cover both quetions/concerns.

Re:Iquana Sneezing

Re:Iquana Sneezing

my hatchling iguana Luna is sneezing a ton right now, I just gave her a bath because i got her from the pet store a few days ago and there's some hard shed left on her. So gave a warm bath to try and help loosen it up, and now she is sneezing like crazy, is this ok? I'm hoping from reading the posts below its just from swimming in the water perhaps? but like every 15-30 seconds she sneezes again so a little worried since prior to the bath she sneezed a few times but not like this

Re:Iquana Sneezing

ah thanks much im actually gonna upload a pic in a new topic because i have a question bout her skin, the pic isnt the clearest in the world but hopefully some ppl will recognize if anything to worry bout

Well,Boomer08wa : My iguana sneezes so often to just like 15 to 30 seconds. he also starts within a minute or two... Im So worried. i hate it!
i have been researching almost every blog, because i've noticed my iguanastarted yesterday afternoon. :'(